Neck size for .221 fireball, Need advice.

T

troutbumsmith

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I need help from the experts. I love to bench shoot but am in the learning process. I have a Hart barrel that comes with a .253 neck. I use Lapua brass and neck trim. My loaded rounds have a neck measurement of .247 Also, I use Wilson neck dies. Normally I would use a neck bushing at .245, but with that large of a chamber neck what should I do? Do I forget about accuracy with the Hart barrel? Please help.

Thanks. Gary
 
i have a hart 22 bbl that shoot very well.
neck tension is tied to starting pressure and burn.
that and distance from the lands.
my 2 cents worth is that if you can start at the lands,
then adj neck tension.
( you can try in the lands and change tension,'but out
and adjusting is kinda strange)
 
troutbumsmith said:
I need help from the experts. I love to bench shoot but am in the learning process. I have a Hart barrel that comes with a .253 neck. I use Lapua brass and neck trim. My loaded rounds have a neck measurement of .247 Also, I use Wilson neck dies. Normally I would use a neck bushing at .245, but with that large of a chamber neck what should I do? Do I forget about accuracy with the Hart barrel? Please help.

Thanks. Gary
Click to expand...

OK, work with me here...... I've never laid eyes on a 221 FB

But I've built pickuploads of brass cases from parent stock. As I understand it this guy's a shortened .222 case? If so, you may choose to make some cases with wikkid thick necks to take up all that slop. I would. I've done this with .243 and .308 from 30-06 brass....

Or just buy samples of every brand available looking for the thickest necks.

Also, IMO you're not really giving up much accuracy if you stick with short, stubby 40-45gr bullets. These bullets have such a long, robust bearing surface that they'll basically "self-guide" for a straight presentation to the bore. Necks splitting will be your next challenge with you moving the brass 8-9 thou like that so you may also consider annealing. Dunno your twist rate but don't expect too much from VLD's with that much neck clearance.

opinionby



al
 
Neck sizing 221 FB

I use a Lee Collet Die in 22 PPC to neck size FB cases. The FB case is a little shorter than the PPC case
and the collet sizes only part of the neck.

This has been no problem. One rifle with a good Kreiger barrel will regularly shoot in the 2's and 3's
and sometimes gets in the high 1's when I get lucky in the wind.

My reamer has a .250 neck and I don't need to turn Rem brass----and don't. The Lapua brass needs
a light turning.

Both brands of brass work well with the collet die. I realize this isn't an ultra precision operation typical
of serious BR shooting the collet works well for a fun gun.

A. Weldy
 
What they said

What Al said about bumping the shoulder on .222 brass can give you a thicker neck. You could even take it a step further by shortening .223 brass. I use a fixture in the vertical mill for rough trimming the cases to length very quickly. After the first firing, I precision trim.

The other guy mentioned a Lee collet die. They do work very well. I only use a collet die for the 30-30, and it has shot zeros. The only things I would add to the collet die is modifications. You can cut a little off the bottom of the collet with a lathe, and get the collet to size a little further down the neck if you want to. You can also make spacer rings for the bottom of collet dies that adjust the collet length for longer cases. Basically this makes collet dies caliber only specific, not case specific. Another trick is to polish about .001" off of the mandrel if greater neck tension is desired. Having mandrels in various sizes allows you to duplicate bushing dies, which allows many options on neck tension. Put a small amount of grease on the tapered section of the collet for long life and smoother operation.

I have also taken Lee carbide pistol dies and opened up the inside diameter with a diamond grit stone. This makes a ring die for sizing the base of the case that requires no case lube. This can be used in conjunction with a shoulder bumper in the top of the ring die. The shoulder bumper is a floating sleeve that goes in the top of the ring die. The shoulder bump bushing has to support about .1" at the top of the case body, otherwise the shoulder bump will swell the body-shoulder junction diameter, and keep the round from chambering. This method can be applied to any cartridge for lube free sizing, including the 6PPC. The floating bushing can also carry a carbide neck bushing, allowing one step resizing without case lube.

Michael
 
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troutbumsmith said:
I need help from the experts. I love to bench shoot but am in the learning process. I have a Hart barrel that comes with a .253 neck. I use Lapua brass and neck trim. My loaded rounds have a neck measurement of .247 Also, I use Wilson neck dies. Normally I would use a neck bushing at .245, but with that large of a chamber neck what should I do? Do I forget about accuracy with the Hart barrel? Please help.

Thanks. Gary
Click to expand...

I shoot a 221 FurBall w/ 26 DAG barrel - 12" twist. It is a rebarreled Rem 700 Classic.

Don't worry about the .253 neck. Load to the rifling, or the magazine length, which ever is longer.
Plastic tipped bullets in 40gr to 50gr are best - powders in the H-4227, Lil'Gun, etc will give you best velocities.
 
Try using your Lapua 221 brass without neck turning. Your loaded outside neck diameter will be approximately .250, just about perfect for your .253 chamber.
 
JohnHenry said:
Try using your Lapua 221 brass without neck turning. Your loaded outside neck diameter will be approximately .250, just about perfect for your .253 chamber.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your advice ( and to all others that responded). I sincerely appreciate the help.

Gary
 
I'm gonna go with JohnHenry...but make sure the loaded neck is smaller than the chamber. New cases will likely load without sizing but sooner than later they'll need sizing to hold the bullet. Get a bushing that's just enough to make that happen and another a bit smaller for when the cases necks need even more. If the cases last long enough to go beyond that smaller bushing then make new cases. If one case splits a bit...make new cases. Continue to measure the necks to make sure your loaded case does not exceed the actual neck diameter. Not the size printed on the barrel...the actual neck diameter.

I can't tell from your initial post if you are turning or trimming the necks but assumed you are neck turning. I'm sure you know this but keep the necks trimmed to length as well. There's a multitude of reasons that a case chambers tightly...the worst of which (I think) is a neck that's too long.
 
Neck size 221 fireball, need advice

From the conservation I see you are dealing with a sami neck . 256

If you need more brass thickness you can full length resize a 222 case in the full length 221 die then trim back .
You will wind up with thicker neck so you can neck turn to the best thickness.
Its an old proven trick from years gone by.

We did this with the 222 also . we used 223 brass or 222 mag brass and trimmed to length.

Good luck with your fireball its a nice little case with 40 g bullets.
 
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